Flying Lesson
by NeversideFaerie
Summary: Set in the Monsters and Mana universe. When the intrepid team becomes trapped in a cave with a dangerous monster, Block comes up with a plan to help everyone escape, but he's going to need a big favour from his best friend Meklavar... As featured in the "Mint Lemonade" Team Punk zine.


"Everybody, get back!" commanded Jiro, his flaming sword unsheathed and ready for action.

He, Block, Meklavar, Pike and Valayun ran for their lives as the beast charged after them, refusing to look back – especially Valayun, as much as it pierced her heart. Somewhere behind them was her noble steed – a beautiful Pegasus-like creature – lying on the ground, a gaping wound upon its side. Only two minutes before, her mount had been slain in a terrible act of violence from the monster that had shocked everyone in the group. Despite their horror, they'd continued to fight the brute until it became clear that they weren't getting anywhere. None of their weapons were any match against it!

The five adventurers scrambled away as fast as they could, but there was no way to outrun or hide from the beast, which was at least ten feet tall and built like Arnold Schwarzenegger. The creature's home was a dark, dingy and spacious cave, accessible only by an opening in the ceiling that it couldn't reach. For many years, the monster had been trapped, surviving on moles and worms, light provided by glowing stones in the walls, but it had thumped and groaned so loudly that eventually the local residents got fed up and decided to hire a bunch of heroes to sort it out. Now they were actually up against it, it became clear why the people who'd imprisoned it in the first place hadn't been able to kill it instead!

Aside from the Pegasus' death being a traumatic experience for everyone, it also meant their only method of escape had been lost. As everyone raced through the cavern, just managing to stay ahead of the monster, Block tried to think of a plan. His staff couldn't carry more than three people, so that was off the menu. Leaving anyone behind was unthinkable. Could he conjure anything that could transport everyone? A larger staff? A Flintstones-esque aeroplane? A flying creature? That sounded like the best option, but there was one problem – he couldn't create a living being out of nothing. The only way to do that was by transforming another living being. What other living being was there to transform…?

Jiro turned round and tried yet again to fight the monster, which had almost caught up with them. Valayun shot an arrow at him but he grabbed the projectile and broke it in two. Pike wanted to join in but after all his usual tricks had failed horribly earlier, he had no idea how to proceed.

"Meklavar?" asked Block.

The dwarven warrior had her axe at the ready, prepared to join in the battle when need be. "Yes, Block?"

"I kinda need to ask you a favour…"

Meklavar looked him in the eye and raised an eyebrow.

Block hesitated, knowing it was going to be a big challenge for the both of them.

"Do you think I could turn you into a dragon?"

He was expecting his friend to be stunned and confused, but she seemed surprisingly laid back. "Sure."

Block was not prepared for this. He had thought Meklavar would want to know a full explanation, at the very least. It touched him deeply that she trusted him so much, yet at the same time, he wasn't exactly certain he knew quite what he was doing…

The monster gave a blood-curdling roar, startling him and Meklavar, and Block knew he had to act fast. He created a magic circle and tried to remember the spell. He closed his eyes, trying not to be distracted by his friends' battle, and chanted a few words. Once he'd completed the incantation, he was a little nervous to look. What if he'd got something wrong? He'd just cast a massive enchantment on his very best friend without a second thought!

Slowly, he opened his eyes and got a tremendous surprise. There in front of him was a magnificent green dragon. She turned to face him and tried to say something, but all that came out was a growl. Within her jaws glistened rows of fangs and her eyes were a rich shade of brown, the same colour as they were in her regular form.

She then turned her head around to try and get a good look at two large appendages she could feel jutting out of her back. She moved them out of curiosity and Block gasped when he saw her spread a pair of massive wings. Meklavar was just as impressed as he was!

The sorcerer clambered onto her back, the dragoness crouching down to make this easier.

Once he was on board, Block suddenly realised something. "Oh no… I haven't given you a flying lesson!"

This was bad. This was really bad. Was it even possible to teach someone to fly in what…thirty seconds? He could see the fight was continuing to rage nearby him. Valayun was running out of arrows and Jiro was looking very strained.

Meklavar started moving her wings up and down, trying to get airborne. Slowly but steadily, she began to rise until she was high above his head.

"Meklavar…" said an awestruck Block, "You're flying!"

The green dragon growled again, seemingly in delight. Jiro turned around to see what was making a loud flapping noise and nearly dropped his sword in astonishment.

By this time, Meklavar had picked up height. She soared right over her friends, Pike and Valayun freezing in surprise, and headed straight for the monster. She took in a deep breath before blasting flames into the creature's face. The beast roared and tried to cover its face with its arms.

The others watched on, clearly impressed.

"Wait! Is that dragon _Meklavar_?!" exclaimed Pike.

"Oh my goodness, it must be!" cried Valayun. She couldn't see her anywhere and besides, why would a dragon be so comfortable letting Block ride on its back…?

The monster tried to fight back but Meklavar slashed uncontrollably with her claws, a roar thundering from her throat. Block held on for dear life as his best friend unleashed her deepest fury, no longer confined to a tiny dwarven body. She tore at the creature with her powerful jaws, before throwing another fireball. The once seemingly unstoppable monster was now practically begging for mercy!

Block cast a spell that made the cowering beast shrink to a much smaller size. Meklavar leaned down and ripped its head right off, slaying it instantly. She cast the head upon the ground, in front of her friends. The body part slowly returned to its original size, its face frozen in horror, blood dribbling onto the ground from its severed neck.

They looked up at the dragon, gobsmacked that their little friend was capable of something so violent. She turned to face them, looking proud. Block waved.

"Uh, guys?" he called, "Can you all get on Meklavar's back? I have a feeling she's gonna turn back any minute and I'm almost out of mana…"

The dragoness landed and let her friends climb aboard, before taking off once more. By this time, she'd got the hang of flying. Now her only problem was finding the opening before she turned back into her original form…

Meklavar picked up speed. She was pretty certain she was going in the right direction, or else her friends would have corrected her.

Pike looked down at the view below. "This is amazing! The next time you need to turn someone into a dragon, Block, sign me up!" The rogue had secretly always wanted the ability to fly.

"I can see the hole!" Jiro pointed to a patch of light peeking through the ceiling.

Meklavar swooped upward and elegantly glided straight through the opening. She flew up into the sky, a dense forest beneath them. It was just as remarkable as whenever they had rode Valayun's steed and their hearts were pricked at the memory of their faithful friend's loss. Valayun wished she could have at least collected her mount's body, rather than leaving it to rot in the monster's cave, but there simply had been no time to take it. She began planning a funeral that would take place after their mission was finished.

The dragoness saw a patch of grass in the woodland and made her way towards it. She landed gracefully and all her friends were able to get off.

"Well done, guys," Jiro addressed everyone, "Especially you, Block and Meklavar." He looked them in the eyes. "It was thanks to your quick-thinking and execution of your plan that you were able to take down the monster."

"Go, Meklavar!" cheered Pike, punching the air.

His friend growled happily and relaxed her wings. Block reached towards her head, which she craned down so he could stroke her nose. She made a few little grunts, clearly enjoying it, before turning back into her regular form, still wearing her armour and carrying her axe.

"You were amazing!" said Block, "Just…how did you do that? Start flying, I mean? And fighting? If somebody turned me into a dragon I'd probably crash into a few things before I got off the ground…I bet I'd have a real appetite too…I mean, more than I normally do…"

"I'm not really sure…" Meklavar responded, shrugging, "I guess I just figured it out. It sure was the coolest thing ever though! I towered over all you guys and did you see how strong I was?" She flexed her free arm. "I can't wait to tell my brother about the time I ripped a monster's head off. He's never gonna believe me!"

It came as no surprise to Block that she'd rather liked being so powerful. He was naturally well-built (yet the biggest teddy bear) whereas she had to train hard to strengthen her muscles, doing exercises each morning and eating lots of protein. He now knew that he would easily turn her into a dragon again if another battle required it (sorry Pike!), but no matter what size she was – big or small – she was still a fearsome warrior and his very best friend.


End file.
